Thursday, December 19, 2013

Week of December 19

Thursday Thoughts December 19
 



 One more day! Can you believe it!  I think now is when the panic sets in if you have not started any shopping.  Thank goodness for the concept of gift cards!! 
 
One last organization that I would like to bring to your attention is one that I have volunteered with for the past two years.  The organization is called The Covenant House and it is a short term shelter for youth ages 18-21 who are in immediate need of lodging.  I volunteer there one Saturday per month by preparing a dinner (with my small group) and serving it.  There are definitely a lot of unique young people there who all have a story that will soften the hardest heart.  Many of the youth have aged out of the foster care system, or were living on the street.  Some have families have put them out because of addiction or their alternative lifestyles.  Whatever the case may be, their circumstances  bring them to this facility.  You will never meet a more mannerable and appreciative group of young people.  Of course each month there are a new group of kids so it is very difficult to form any sort of bond with the kids.  The organization takes food donations (money of course) and currently has a Christmas wish list online.  Most of the items are what we would consider basic necessities.  Please check out the website: http://www.covenanthousega.org/
 
It is my most sincere wish that you enjoy the next few weeks and spend it doing exactly what you want to do.  I hope that you will have a safe and prosperous new year.  I thank you for what you do for our students and school community everyday.  Being a part of the Medlock Family is a choice and I thank you for for choosing to be here.  See you next year!!!


Staff Spotlight:
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Lindsay Padgett.  Lindsay made the choice to come to Medlock from Gwinnett County.  She has been a Special Needs Pre K teacher for several years.  Spend a few minutes in her classroom and you will see why she is so beloved by her students and parents alike.  She has patience beyond measure.  I get so tickled in the mornings at carpool when her students pull up and she is there to greet them.  You should hear the squeals of delight.  Now  imagine working with three year olds daily, several of whom are non verbal.  She and Jaya work with the children to learn basic skills that we take for granted, one being potty training.  Lindsay has steadily increased her class size and will have at least eleven students after the break.  I have not once heard her complain about the class size, the tantrums, the biting (okay maybe she did mention the biting) or the workload that comes with managing IEP goals and objectives for this growing group of little ones.  Lindsay thank you for being a part of the Medlock family.  We appreciate all that you do for our youngest Mustangs!



Thats all folks!!!!!






 





 

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Week of December 12

Thursday Thoughts December 12





 Have you ever heard of The Drake House?   It is a temporary shelter for homeless women and children in the North Fulton area.  In 2014, the Drake House will celebrate it's ten year anniversary.  It is actually named after Mary Drake, the woman who helped establish North Fulton Charities.  This housing facility serves approximately 40-50 families per year and each family can stay from 90-120 days.  Programs and life skills classes are provided to the mothers during their stay.  One of the unique things about this organization is that they run two consignment boutiques where all funds benefit the Drake House.  The boutiques, called The Drake Closet, sell new and gently used clothing and jewelry and is completely operated by volunteers.  The stores are located in Roswell (next to the Teaching Museum) and Alpharetta (near the Milton Center).  Below please find the link for the Drake House where you can learn even more information about this facility and the stores.  As you are out and about finishing (or starting)  your shopping, please consider visiting these stores.  Your patronage will definitely benefit a worthy cause.   http://www.thedrakehouse.org/tdh/




Staff Spotlight:
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Nancy Trenker.  Nancy is not only a key to the success of our Media Center, but we also rely heavily on her for the clinic.  Nancy puts her heart into everything she does for Medlock.  She is in charge of our school inventory (which is not an easy task) and makes sure that our furniture and equipment are accounted for and in the proper place.  Nancy also assists Poonam with computer updates and other technical needs as requested.  I often think about the roles that we all play and how we are interdependent.  Many thanks to you Nancy.  We depend on you.

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills
 

15 Ways Art Can Increase Innovation in Your Science Class  by Erin Macpherson
 

Imagine walking into a science classroom and seeing…paintbrushes? And easels? It may seem strange to those of us who grew up memorizing the periodic table and rolling marbles down inclines, but as the STEM to STEAM movement picks up pace, more and more science teachers are integrating art into their science lessons. Interestingly, the use of art as part of a science curriculum is something that has been done in places like Italy and China for centuries. Mrs. Heather Wallace, a science teacher who has studied in China, told us that she "learned early on that creativity leads to innovation and innovation leads to success in the sciences. Art and science may seem like different disciplines, but when you look at them closely, you see that they are beautifully intertwined."
So how can science teachers integrate art into their every-day curriculum? It takes some work and some ingenuity, but with a little effort, you can give your students a leg up in science by teaching them to think creatively. To get started, here are a few of our favorite creative teaching ideas that integrate the two disciplines.

For Elementary School:
Get your recycling unit going in your Earth science class by making these adorable recycled bottle animals out of recycled materials.
Go on a nature walk and then have your kids recreate the trees they see using paint chips and bark.
Show your kids a basic chemical reaction by making salt watercolor paintings.
Turn your kids into elementary urban planners and let your future engineers plan out their own city and then make a beautiful map to demonstrate what they learned.
Grow your own crystals in class and turn them into crystal rainbows.

For Middle School:
Make magnetic paintings and visually demonstrate to your students how magnetic forces work.
Use marbles and paints to teach students about inclines in your physical science class.
Use baking soda and vinegar to make fizzy color art. Make sure to snap pictures because these masterpieces won't last.
Visualize energy with these fun artistic renderings that use rubber bands, gems, and googly eyes.
Make thaumatropes, images that shift back and forth so quickly that they appear as one. This is a great way to demonstrate changing processes—the exploding of a volcano, the hatching of an egg, or a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.

For High School:
Make these gorgeous Six Corner Art pictures and get your students thinking about the physical properties of lines, angles, and inclines.
Have your biology students recreate the parts of a cell or the parts of the brain using toothpicks, paint, and other craft supplies.
Study chemical reactions using glow sticks or glow paint.
Bring some action into your physics class with pendulum paintings. Watch out! This one could get messy!
Make spiky crystals by creating a chemical reaction with Epsom salts and hot water.


Technology Tidbits: (If you have websites to share please email me and I will share with all)


Check out the following website:

http://powermylearning.org
A free site (although you have to sign up) that gives you access to thousands of activities.  You can sort through the activities by standard.  Although there are sites for all subjects and grades k-12, the sites for Math and ELA match the common core standards K-8.  I signed up and found myself exploring for over an hour.  I did not even scratch the surface.



News & Notes

A multitude of electronic resources are available to you as educators through the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library's eCampus program.  As a FCS employee, you are eligible for a free library account.  You can also take online courses for PLU Credit through the eCampus program.  For more information, please read page 13 of the December 10th PL Post.  The library account is also a great way to check out books to load onto your iPad for a two week period.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Week of December 5

Thursday Thoughts December 5




 Yesterday I had the opportunity to join the 21 other NELC principals at North Fulton Community Charities for our holiday party.  No we didn't actually have the party at NFCC but we served in a volunteer capacity for a couple of hours and then had a potluck lunch back at the Milton Center.  Yes...I brought the soda.  Now this is a new experience for principals, as we are accustomed to grand luncheons at various venues throughout the county.  I can tell you that it was one of the best holiday parties I have ever attended.  We were all assigned different tasks and we worked up a sweat.  My job (with three other principals and Amy Booms) was to sift through donation bags and sort the items into the appropriate bins.  There was plenty of camaraderie, laughter and just plain old fun. 
 
 The NFCC volunteer coordinator shared some facts about the services that they provide to the families in Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton and Roswell that truly surprised me.  For example, last year NFCC gave over 1.2 million dollars in rent and utility assistance.  For Thanksgiving this year they gave away turkeys, groceries and gift cards to nearly 800 families in need.  I was so proud that Medlock Bridge donated over 900 pounds to the organization.  For the month of December, I will highlight a few other organizations in the blog that do great work to assist those in need.  If you have a chance, please read all about the work that the NFCC does at http://nfcchelp.org/.   In additon, I have provided a link below to the pictures of the principals hard at work yesterday.  Here at Medlock we have a great opportunity to assist a few of our own students this season.  Thank you in advance for participating in our gift card campaign.   It will mean the world to the recipients.
 
 
 
 

Staff Spotlight:
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Traci Fleck.  Traci has a passion for teaching and a huge heart for her students.  She serves as an advocate for her students' needs and rarely takes no for an answer.  Traci seeks opportunities for professional growth and I am excited to announce that she is days away from graduating from Georgia State.  She works closely with her students' parents and goes above and beyond when it comes to communication.  Traci thank you for doing what it takes to educate and inspire your students.

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

5 Hallmarks of a Creative Project


Structure student projects to demand creativity
 
By Melinda Kolk
 
Why is it that we definitely know a creative project when we see it, but we are hesitant to assess creativity, fearing that it is too squishy or subjective?

Creative projects are the tangible products of creative behavior and creative thinking. If we want students to produce creative works, we need to structure student work so that the outcome is a natural result of these behaviors.

A project is creative when it:
1. Asks, or attempts to answer, the right kind of questions
A project that answers a question with an obvious right answer doesn’t leave much room for creative thinking. Create is at the very top of Bloom’s taxonomy. A project’s questions should prompt students to: integrate, design, invent, compose, organize, plan, propose, and of course, create.
We are probably all familiar with the concept of essential questions, questions “that pose dilemmas, subvert obvious or canonical truths, or force incongruities upon our attention.” (Bruner, 1996). Even if the project doesn’t drive to an essential question, it should be framed by a question that is open-ended, eliminating the expectation that the project requirements can be fulfilled by a specific answer or type of answer.
Read more about Bloom’s and creative project work here.
Most importantly, questions must be meaningful. Questions that can be answered with factual information are useful, but not meaningful. Such questions may be part of gathering foundational knowledge, but the crux of student work should address questions that connect students to the world beyond the classroom. That doesn’t mean that students have to have free rein to do whatever they want, but they do need to feel that their work is recognized and has an impact.

2. Requires collaboration or cooperation
There is no shortage of research that shows that creativity does not thrive in competition. While individual work can certainly be creative, team work leads to more creativity for more students.

Collaborating exposes us to different perspectives and leads to more diverse and varied ideas, especially when the group is heterogeneous. If group norms are such that all ideas are welcome and debate is free and respectful, ideas cross-pollinate and produce better and more original thinking.

Even if a project is more cooperative than collaborative and students work to make an individual contribution to a larger whole-class project, try to work in opportunities for students to collaborate on brainstorming, planning, and evaluating. These activities expose individuals to a more diverse range of ideas and perspectives, allowing them to incorporate those concepts into their personal work.
3. Doesn’t need the student’s name on it
That’s right. If you can’t tell the difference between students’ work, the project didn’t leave enough room for students to invest themselves. No worksheet is creative. Projects that are creative are as unique as the students that create them.

In a student-created version of Judi Barrett’s Things That are Most in the World, there is an amazing range of content, intonation, and style. Although the student names appear at the bottom of each page, I’m certain that neither the teacher nor the parents needed to see them to identify each student’s work.

Creative work is deeply original, making it also deeply personal. If students can’t see themselves in their work, why would they want do it? In her research on creativity, and in exploring other research on creativity, Teresa Amabile found that intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity and extrinsic motivation is almost always detrimental. Be sure to give students “voice and choice” so they can appropriate the task to their interests and skills to make the work more interesting and satisfying.

4. Includes original art or design
Remember your students’ first PowerPoint? When they spent what felt like a week designing the title page and finding just the right font, Word Art. or animation? Most kids get over that by their fifth project. Do they stop because they are truly getting better at the process or because we have crushed their creativity? If we keep outlining requirements (on page 1, include x and y) or scaffolding projects through research worksheets, creative projects quickly turn boring, and we end up watching variations of the same PowerPoint presentation 24 times.

If you ask a room full of Kindergartners who can draw a frog, you will see lots of raised hands. Ask that same question in middle school and you probably won’t get one… unless you have an “accomplished” artist in the class.

Why is this? Since most of us aren’t great at drawing, our original artwork isn’t likely to garnish praise and admiration. As we get older, we are less and less likely to try drawing something new for fear that our art will be labeled “not good.” We are conditioned over the years to take fewer and fewer risks.

But creativity requires risk taking, as Sir Ken Robinson explains, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” Asking all students to draw their own work creates a culture of risk taking. If everyone has to do it, everyone is in the struggle together. Just be sure to follow it up with a celebration of effort and risk taking… do not just focus on the quality of their drawings.

If you aren’t ready for this step or don’t want to take the time necessary for original illustration, ban the use of clip art or make require justification for any clip art used in a project. You could also require students to edit the clip art or synthesize multiple pieces of clip art into a new design. Stop using templates, or at the very least, require students to make changes to the templates.
5. Transfers energy and demonstrates passion
In addition to new inventions and products of value, creativity brings joy to our world. Creative projects often make us smile, whether we are in the audience or in the creator’s seat. We work hard on creative projects because they are meaningful and important to us.

Creative projects portray the fun and energy that went into them and transfer this energy from the creator to the viewer. In the same way a passionate presenter inspires us and connects us to content in a way no lukewarm presenter can, you can easily tell when students have connected with the content and approached it in ways that reflect their passions and interests.
The hard work of creativity
Making creativity a requirement for your learning projects isn’t just about fun. When we take a creative approach, our students are free to try new things and explore passions.

But creativity isn’t easy, it’s the result of hard work!
Hard work building adequate content knowledge to be capable of transformative ideas and products.

Hard work creating original infographics to display data in more revealing ways.

Hard work drawing and designing original artwork to model our ideas or connect with our audience.

Hard work looking at ideas from multiple perspectives, especially those that contradict our own.

Hard work doing thinking that isn’t just remembering, but is connecting, synthesizing, and transforming.

Hard work imagining what could be instead of using or thinking about what already is.

Hard work bringing the novel into existence and getting others to value what is new and different.
It’s time to get down to some hard work!

Technology Tidbits: (If you have websites to share please email me and I will share with all)


Check out the following websites:

http://interactivesites.weebly.com/science.html-
This site is a great resource to locate additional interactive sites for all subjects

http://www.uen.org/3-6interactives/science.shtml
Science resources provided by the state of Utah

News & Notes

If you have a high school senior or know someone who does, please note the following:

The North Fulton Council of PTAs (NFCPTA) has posted the 2014 Sally FitzGerald Scholarship application online please visit the website at http://www.nfcpta.com/?page_id=696

The Sally FitzGerald Scholarship is open to all seniors graduating from a North Fulton County High School. This scholarship targets students who exhibit characteristics in volunteerism, extra-curricular activities, academic excellence, and essay writing. The deadline for this scholarship application is March 19th, 2014. The scholarship application package must be mailed and have a postmark no later than this date to be considered.
 


Thursday, November 14, 2013

Week of November 14

Thursday Thoughts November 14



 

I have waited all week to share the most amazing true story with everyone! As I was walking to my car last Friday (around 6:15pm) I saw a car pull into one of the parking spaces in front of the school.
A woman got out of the car and it was obvious that she had been crying.  I thought that she was picking up a child from Primetime and was possibly running late.  I asked if I could help her and she stated, "I used to attend this school".  Although I really needed to get home, I was worried that she  was in some sort of trouble or pain.  I introduced myself and invited her to come in and look around.  She shared how she had attended Medlock from 2nd to 5th grade and she began naming teachers.  Most of the teachers she named are been long gone but I took her to the kiosk to look at pictures of the current staff.  As she looked at the pictures, she began to share with me how much the school meant to her and that her fondest memories of childhood were associated with Medlock Bridge.  She remembered Judy Zollman and wanted to know if Mrs. Doyle, her favorite teacher, was still teaching.  I told her that Debbie works with students and teachers now and we watched the photos on the kiosk until we got to Debbie's pictures.  This brought the biggest smile to her face.  As we talked, she shared that she moved to North Carolina after 5th grade and never really got to come back.  This particular weekend she was in Atlanta for a work related conference and decided to visit her old elementary school.  She thought things looked just as she remembered and although we didn't tour the building (it was getting late) we did visit the media center.  By the time she finished reminiscing, Retta Hunter, age 29, was no longer crying and was so thankful to get the chance to come back to a place that holds such a special place in her heart. 

We may never know the impact that we have on children's lives.  The time they have with us may create memories that will last a lifetime.  I hope that twenty years down the road (when most of us are enjoying retirement) some child will return as an adult and reminisnce about his/her time here at Medlock.  What you do matters....don't ever forget it.
 
 
 
Staff Spotlight:
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Craig Gendreau.  Mr. Gendreau makes music come alive for students.  From the welcoming music he plays on the guitar as students arrive to class to the soulful grade level musical performances(which put big smiles on many faces), Craig is truly dedicated to his craft.  Craig is a team player and does not hesitate to pitch in and assist wherever and whenever needed.  You can find him each Monday and Thursday after school with the chorus and steele drum band students respectively.  Medlock students are fortunate to have a teacher like Mr. Gendreau who offers all students an opportunity to be "rock stars".  Craig, thank you for the work you do with students everyday.
4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

11 Ways to be an Inquiry-based Teacher

Posted by on May 8, 2013
 
It’s hard to run an inquiry-based classroom. Don’t go into this teaching style thinking all you do is ask questions and observe answers. You have to listen with all of your senses, pause and respond to what you heard (not what you wanted to hear), keep your eye on the Big Ideas as you facilitate learning, value everyone’s contribution, be aware of the energy of the class and step in when needed, step aside when required. You aren’t a Teacher, rather a guide. You and the class find your way from question to knowledge together. 

Because everyone learns differently.

You don’t use a textbook. Sure, it’s a map, showing you how to get from here to there, but that’s the problem. It dictates how to get ‘there’. For an inquiry-based classroom, you may know where you’re going, but not quite how you’ll get there and that’s a good thing. You are no longer your mother’s teacher who stood in front of rows of students and pointed to the blackboard. You operate well outside your teaching comfort zone as you try out the flipped classroom and the gamification of education and are thrilled with the results.
And then there’s the issue of assessment. What your students have accomplished can’t neatly be summed up by a multiple choice test. When you review what you thought would assess learning (back when you designed the unit), none measure the organic conversations the class had about deep subjects, the risk-taking they engaged in to arrive at answers, the authentic knowledge transfer that popped up independently of your class time. You realize you must open your mind to learning that occurred that you never taught–never saw coming in the weeks you stood amongst your students guiding their education.
Let me digress. I visited the Soviet Union (back when it was one nation) and dropped in on a classroom where students were inculcated with how things must be done. It was a polite, respectful, ordered experience, but without cerebral energy, replete of enthusiasm for the joy of learning, and lacking the wow factor of students independently figuring out how to do something. Seeing the end of that powerful nation, I arrived at different conclusions than the politicians and the economists. I saw a nation starved to death for creativity. Without that ethereal trait, learning didn’t transfer. Without transfer, life required increasingly more scaffolding and prompting until it collapsed in on itself like a hollowed out orange.

So how do you create the inquiry-based classroom? Here’s advice from a few of my efriend teachers:
  1. ask open-ended questions and be open-minded about conclusions
  2. provide hands-on experiences
  3. use groups to foster learning
  4. encourage self-paced learning. Be open to the student who learns less but deeper as much as the student who learns a wider breadth
  5. differentiate instruction. Everyone learns in their own way
  6. look for evidence of learning in unusual places. It may be from the child with his/her hand up, but it may also be from the learner who teaches mom how to use email
  7. understand ‘assessment’ comes in many shapes. It may be a summative quiz, a formative simulation, a rubric, or a game that requires knowledge to succeed. It may be anecdotal or peer-to-peer. Whatever approach shows students are transferring knowledge from your classroom to life is a legitimate assessment
  8. be flexible. Class won’t always (probably never) go as your mind’s eye saw it. That’s OK. Learn with students. Observe their progress and adapt to their path.
  9. give up the idea that teaching requires control. . Refer to #8–Be flexible
  10. facilitate student learning in a way that works for them. Trust that they will come up with the questions required to reach the Big Ideas
In the end, know that inquiry-based teaching is not about learning for the moment. You’re creating life-long learners, the individuals who will solve the world’s problems in ten years. How do you ensure they are ready?


Technology Tidbits: (If you have websites to share please email me and I will share with all)


Check out the following websites:

www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/  A site with learning through the use of multi-player games. 
 (A large selection of free games)


www.cookie.com/ A great site for educational games and teacher resources.


News & Notes
GA DOT to hold Parsons Road Detour Open House Nov. 21; 5-7pm
On November 21, 2013 at Taylor Lodge at St. Benedict Catholic Church 11045 Parsons Rd, Johns Creek, GA 30097 the Georgia Department of Transportation will hold a detour open house concerning a proposal to replace an existing bridge (ID. # 121-5022-0) on Parsons Road over Johns Creek located in the City of Johns Creek.  Go to Parsons Road Detour Open House for more information.

GA 400 toll collection will end after the evening rush hour on Friday, November 22, weather permitting. Even though the GA 400 tolls are ending, be sure to keep your Peach Pass for use when you need to bypass traffic using the existing I-85 Express Lanes, or the planned I-75 Express Lanes south of Atlanta (coming in 2016); and I-75/575 Express Lanes in the Northwest Corridor (coming in 2018). However, if you do decide to close your account, your full balance, including any automatic replenishments, will be refunded.


 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Week of November 7

Thursday Thoughts November 7





This week I have really been thinking about the concept of "fair" especially as it relates to education.  Often times educators will hesitate in providing a special treat or reward for a student because it would be unfair to the other children who won't get the reward.  In fact, when we have to accomodate some children in ways that the others do not require, that may seem unfair.  I have been reflecting on this simple truth:  children come to school with all sorts of life circumstances that aren't fair.  Whether it is a disability, home situation or behaviors that they are ill equipped to control, children are dealing with the hand that they have been dealt and it is unfair.  As adults, we know that life isn't fair.  I think that is why we try so hard to make things fair for our students.  Maybe instead of focusing on making everything fair, we can focus on leveling the playing field for all students.  Thank you for making sure that all students are supported in many different ways so that they can be successful and prepared for a world that is unfair.

 

Staff Spotlight:
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Janie Massey.  Many of us have students that we send to Janie to "catch up". I marvel at how Janie can work with a child and get him/her on grade level in a matter of months. Janie uses a variety of strategies to help ignite students' passion for reading AND increase their ability to read proficiently.  Janie also works with teachers to provide strategies that are helpful in the classroom.  Not only does Janie work with students in grades K-5 but she also works with teachers in the New Teacher Mentor Program.  Janie spearheads this program and checks in with the mentors to provide support that can then be passed along to new teachers.  I appreciate Janie for her passion for teaching and learning and her dedication to supporting our struggling learners and new teachers.

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

The Inquiry Process Explained Visually for Teachers

www.educatorstechnology.com

 Learning is all about being curious and inquisitive. It is a process in which learners explore the unknown through their senses using both sensory and motor skills. Being involved and engaged in the learning task is the key to a successful learning journey and to elicit this kind of engagement from learners, teachers need to nurture a learning environment where students take responsibility for their learning and 'where they are only shown where to look but not told what to see'. Such environment definitely requires a solid approach and an informed strategy to learning one that is dubbed: inquiry-based learning.

Inquiry-based learning is essential in developing the most solicited 21st century skills : problem solving and critical thinking.As a teacher, you might be wondering about ways to inculcate the precepts of strategy into your teaching and lesson planning. Here is for you a an excellent visual about the inquiry process created by educators from Australia and which I discovered through Mindshift.

inquiry process

Technology Tidbits: (If you have websites to share please email me and I will share with all)


Check out the following website:


Great for creative hands on science and social studies activities
http://www.stemcollaborative.org/
STEM interactive activities for upper grades (Resources tab has ideas for lower grades)

News & Notes
 Open enrollment ends tomorrow November 8.   All your enrollment elections must be complete no later than 5:00pm. 

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Week of October 31

Thursday Thoughts October 31





 
Can you believe it's Halloween!  Although this day is very exciting for many (especially children), if you are like me this day is a reminder that the holiday season is upon us.  Where did the time go?  I mean just yesterday we were returning from summer break, scurrying about during preplanning and trying to fix our transportation woes.  OK.... so the transportation woes literally were yesterday but you get the point.  As we move into November and eventually December, let us take the next 30 school days of this semester (yes as of Monday we only have 30 school days) to ensure that we give our students the best that we've got.  No tricks....just treats to the best education we can provide.
Have a great night!!
 

Staff Spotlight:
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Jamie Cross.  When visiting the Pre K classroom, I was in awe of the arts and crafts, bulletin boards and teacher created games within the classroom.  Megan share that it was all due to Jamie's talents and dedication to the class.  Jamie is not only invaluable to Megan and the students in the room but she also takes it upon herself to make things at home to bring the classroom environment to life.  When you interact with Jamie you can't help but smile.  She is full of energy and always has a big hug for her students.  Jamie has been a Mustang for several years and no matter the capacity in which she serves, she makes everyone feel welcome.  Jamie thank you for making Medlock and the Pre K class a wonderful place to learn and grow!

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

Creativity is the Secret Sauce in STEM

by Ainissa Ramirez

Humans have a few basic needs: air, food, water, clothing, shelter, belonging, intimacy and Wi-Fi. (OK, the last one is not really on the list.) Regardless of my attempt to be funny, what is no laughing matter is that we have primary needs. What might surprise you is that another primary need is the need to be creative. We are creative creatures and have been since we first existed, as evidenced by the first cave paintings formed over 40,000 years ago. But somehow in this modern day, we've forgotten that being creative is part of the human experience.
There is plenty of talk in the news about making our children more creative to prepare for the jobs for the 21st century. The word "creativity" is used a lot, but no one is taking the time to define it. Plato used to think frequently about creativity and would describe it as being a channel for a muse. OK, where can you get a muse these days? eBay? As you can see, this intangible and hard-to-describe resource makes it very hard to identify, never mind nurture and teach. However, we know creativity when we see it. And, despite all this confusion, we also know that everyone is creative (to varying degrees).
Creativity is the secret sauce to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). It is a STEM virtue. While most scientists and engineers might be reluctant to admit that, and to accept the concept of STEAM (where A is for Art), I’ve witnessed that the best of the best are the most creative.
So how do we make our children more creative?
Researchers have found that play is important for productive thought. Playing with ideas also increases learning. We must encourage playing with concepts to nurture creativity in students.1 Can you show the material you are discussing in far-out ways? Can it be compared to a sport, an event or a celebrity? Try it. Playing with concepts provides multiple entry points and multiple ways of engagement.

Creativity Breaks the Ice to Enable Learning

Recently, I taught a chemistry class to liberal arts majors. It could have been a setup for an epic fail. These students had avoided science all through their college years until now, and they needed this course to graduate. So I had to find ways to break the ice and make these chemistry concepts more palatable and fun. My approach was to merge two things that we never really link -- compare how humans and atoms behave similarly in certain situations. Everyone believes he or she is a human-relationship expert, so why not compare the known to the unknown? That is, how humans act when bonding with each other can be compared to how atoms bond too. This anthropomorphized or metaphorical approach bridges the scary with the not-so-scary. It also increases dialog and understanding, and serves as an idiom (where one can use less words to describe something). Metaphors are a beautiful thing.
Creativity is really the art of metaphor.
Metaphors create a linkage between two dissimilar ideas and are useful in the sciences because they allow information to be attained by connecting the unknown with the known.2 And this is the key element to scientific creativity. Metaphors are important because they create a means of seeking answers, and sometimes they free us from the common thinking and enable scientific breakthroughs.
Most scientists won't admit it, but metaphors are part of their toolkit. They are peppered into scientific language, unsuspectingly. Scientists will say light waves, electric current and magnetic fields.3 But they do not literally mean an ocean of light, a stream of electricity or a pasture of magnets. These phrases make connections between that thing we know and that thing we are trying to explore. Metaphors are thought-mappings that help understanding.
Newton figured out that celestial bodies and the earth were linked by gravity. An apple falling to the earth was a metaphor for the linkages between the earth and the moon. Kepler linked the workings of a clock to the motion of the planets. Bohr visualized the atom as a mini-solar system. Metaphors can help us take a cerebral leap. We need parallels -- a cell is a city, atoms are billiard balls, and DNA are spiral staircases -- so that we can play with these concepts to uncover answers and enable learning.
Metaphors are wonderful tools for teaching and learning. As I say in Save Our Science (1), the skills of the 21st century need us to create scholars that can link the unlinkable. These scholars must be willing to try many combinations before finding the right answer. They must be comfortable with concepts that they can play with in new ways. We want smart-thinking creative people. This is the formula for a better tomorrow.

Technology Tidbits: (If you have websites to share please email me and I will share with all)


Check out the following websites:

http://www.mensaforkids.org/
Great website for games to challenge kids (some of the games are challenging for adults too)


http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/
Free resources, math games, and hands-on math activities aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

News & Notes
On November 19th at 8:30am Medlock Bridge will be hosting the Linda McCain School Board Member Community meeting.  It will be held in the Media Center and Georgia Representative Lynn Riley will be speaking at the meeting.  We are excited to host other principals, community members and district personnel. 

 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Week of October 24

 

Thursday Thoughts October 24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
As we close out our last week of October and our focus on Breast Cancer, I hope that we don't forget the importance of finding a cure for this disease.  Our Student Council has requested that we have a "pink out" on Monday, October 28th.  I agree and think that we should finish strong.  Please join in on Monday and paint the town (okay maybe not the town but definitely the school) pink.

Staff Spotlight:
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Erin Amideo.  Erin has gone above and beyond as it relates to differentiating instruction to all students in her classroom.  As a general education teacher, Erin has minimal experience teaching Autistic students within the general education classroom.  However from day one, Erin has risen to the challenge.  She has given up her planning periods when her student could not remain in specials, sought advice from special education teachers and spent a great amount of one on one time working with her student to really get a feel for what she can do.  All the while making sure that she is meeting the needs of the other students in the class.  It is amazing to walk into the classroom and see an entire class of 5 year olds who are sensitive and empathetic to their classmate.  We have many students who are served in our special education department and our staff spends a great deal of time making sure students are appropriately placed.  But often it takes time to get it right.  I appreciate the fact that we have general education teachers like Erin who are patient and willing to do whatever it takes for all students.

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

Technology Will Not Replace Teachers

by Jeff & Katie Dunn


There is an onslaught of technology on the modern classroom. Teachers, administrators, parents, and students alike are being told that technology is the whetstone with which we can all sharpen our education system. Technology can open doors, expand minds, and change the world.
That may be true, but it's not the panacea that it's been made out to be. As much innovation as the iPad may bring to the classroom, it's not going to replace a teacher anytime soon. In fact, the influx of technology like iPads means there is a greater need for teachers. We need teachers who are part early adopter, part integrator, and part mad scientist. The modern teacher must be willing to take chances and able to figure out how not just how technology works, but how it works for each student, and where its use is most appropriate.
Personalized tech-infused learning is the future of education. We started Edudemic to share the best education technology resources. Now it's no longer good enough to just share resources. So we started Modern Lessons in an effort to bring all teachers, parents, and students around the world up to speed on modern technology. It is our goal to help bring personalized tech-infused learning to classrooms around the world. Not just the ones in first world countries, but to find efficient ways to bring technology into the classrooms of every country.
There is a problem, however. When someone mentions using technology in education, the conversation shifts away from education and pedagogy, and transforms into dreams of shiny new gizmos and gadgets filling our classrooms. That's a problem - It's not about the technology. Rather, the sleek and ever more powerful devices that are coming down the pipeline are simply one part of a teacher's toolkit. The technology is not the lesson, it is there to enhance the lesson.
A classroom with one iPad or one laptop for every student may offer opportunities that a classroom with one computer for the teacher to use does not. But technology in such abundance is not education's magic bullet. Instead of having an all-technology-all-the-time classroom, teachers should leverage the technology when it can ameliorate the lesson. You can flip your classroom without relying solely on technology. Project-based learning activities don't have to happen in totally tech driven environments.
Our classrooms are changing, and without a doubt they will look quite different in five or ten years than they do today. New technologies are being developed quickly, and with so many different trends taking hold, it is yet to be seen what will be shaken out and what will stick. Will MOOCs or a similar online learning concept start to take over? Will we have robots for teachers?
One thing we feel strongly about: teachers aren't going anywhere. Whatever word you choose - teacher, tutor, preceptor, or something else - the role a teacher plays in the classroom is huge. Everyone knows this on a personal level, and can identify a teacher or mentor who has had influence on us or changed our trajectories in a positive way.
Teachers are not, and cannot be automatons handing out information to students. They are leaders, guides, facilitators, and mentors. They encourage students when they struggle, and inspire them to set and reach for their goals. They are role models, leading by example and giving direction when necessary. A computer can give information, but a teacher can lend a hand, or an ear, and discern what's necessary for a student to succeed, and to want to succeed.
So yes, technology is going to play a critical role in the future of education. But not as big a role as that of a teacher.

Technology Tidbits: (If you have websites to share please email me and I will share with all)


Check out the following websites:

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/students.aspx
The Kennedy Center's free digital resource for teaching and learning in, through and about the arts.
www.storyjumper.com
A site where you can have students write and illustrate their own stories.
There is a sign up but it is free.  There is a cost if you want students to publish their work.

News & Notes

 I am excited about the next phase of the School Governance Council.  The voting period will be open from November 13th – November 19th, 2013.   We had 3 parent candidates for the 3 parent positions so I am not sure if a parent election is warranted.  The parent candidates are Rachel Allen, Lisa Beckett and Ellen Newell.  We had 3 teacher candidates for the 2 teacher positions so an election will take place among the staff.  The teacher candidates are Traci Fleck, Andrea Hidock and Tanis Ockwell.  I will share more information as I get it.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Week of October 17

                                            Thursday Thoughts October 17



As we focus on Breast Cancer Awareness, I think it is so important to emphasize that this is not simply a concern for women over forty.  In fact, it is not just a concern for women.  Although rare in men, it can occur generally between the ages of 60-70.  In young women, I found that it has been detected as early as 21 years of age. My cousin was in her 30's when she learned that she had breast cancer.  To our knowledge, we did not have a family history of it.  She only found out because her toddler hit her in the chest with his head as she was wrestling with him.  She noted that it was unusually painful but did not think too much of it.  Several days passed but the pain did not subside. She went to the doctor and the cancer was discovered.  It had spread to her lymph nodes.  She went through radiology and chemo and is thankfully in remission but had she not had that incident.....well we all acknowledge that her little one very well may have saved her life.  The bottom line is that you can't ignore anything when it comes to your body and your health; no matter your age.   Thank you for showing your support.  Please remember to wear pink on Monday.


Staff Spotlight:
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Paula Bell.  Paula is another one person department in our school that goes out of her way to assist everyone.  She not only orders all of the supplies for the grade levels and collects money for all field trips, but she also takes special care in making sure that our staff events have just that little extra touch of love.  When Paula organizes an event or activity, you can be sure that every "i" is dotted and every "t" is crossed.  She is also a great listener and you can often find staff in her office laughing, sharing and sometimes even crying.  I can tell you from first hand experience that she phenomenal with last minute requests, even though she doesn't prefer them.  Just yesterday I mentioned to her (in passing) that I needed a particular item for my office and by this afternoon it had been ordered, delivered and ready to install.....amazing!  Many thanks to Paula for taking care of all of us.

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills 

 4 Key Strengths Of Tablets As Learning Tools                       

by Rose Cauilan

As the classroom quickly evolves into the 21st century, it should come as no surprise that portable devices are becoming an increasingly important part of a child’s education. Tips for teaching with tablets is something Teach Thought has taken a look at before, and their momentum is only increasing.
Why? For starters, there are a number of benefits that this technology can offer–including the ability to mobilize learning, personalize curriculum, and provide transparency for all stakeholders in education.
Education is also hungry for change, another reality in favor of using tablets for learning. But using tablets and using them well are two different things. Making tablets more effective–in terms of understanding, rather than simple measures of “engagement,” or even multiple-choice based assessment results, will require playing to their strengths.  Which means it might help to identify a few of those strengths.

Strength #1: Mobile Learning
Mobile learning is simply the untethering of students from classrooms, allowing them to learn while embedded where the learning is. (Which is rarely in a desk, with a book, listening to a teacher.) This naturally promotes the practice of authentic learning, empower project-based learners, and supports place-based education as well. With a tablet, smartphone or other BYOT device, this is not only possible, but natural.

Strength #2: Personalized Learning
The incredible library of apps available for both iOS and Android devices (and, yes, Windows Surface tablets, too) are powerful distributors of content. No longer does learning have to come simply from books and direct instruction. It is now possible that they come from self-directed and mobile learning through a combination of media, from texts and videos, to social media streams, images, and more.  And with many apps increasingly benefiting from adaptive learning mechanisms of some sort, the ability for students to access the right content at the right time is more possible now than ever.

Strength #3: Transparency
Since so many apps have built-in social media potential, and students are increasingly able to mobilize and self-direct their own learning through the power of a tablet, transparency is a natural result. Data can be seen, shared, socialized, communally disaggregated, and communicated to a much more informed–and even more personal–audience through tablets and BYOT approaches to learning technology.  And with that added transparency comes the sharing of the burden–and opportunity–of teaching students across an impressively wide and capable audience, rather than individual, overworked teachers struggling to do the same for 130 other students.

Strength #4: Engagement & Collaboration
Kids need to be actively engaged, something tablets and their native apps can address. Not only are these handy devices visually stimulating, but teachers can link these pads together so that children can coordinate their efforts and solve problems together. While receiving a smiley sticker on a well-done math exam is pleasant, the highly advanced programs that tablets offer can truly take these rewards to the next level. Simply stated, these mobile devices for learning can truly make a profound difference.
To provide an example, a recent study published by CNN found that children who use these devices were no less than twenty percent more likely to be rated at “proficient” or “advanced” levels of learning after interacting with these gadgets for a few months.  Any of us who may have been bored stiff in the classroom can attest to how important it is for a teacher to interact with his or her students. The great thing about mobile notepads is that they are some of the most visually engaging teaching tools available. They offer stimulating graphics, interesting programs and most of all, the students can truly get a “hands on” feel for realism that can hardly be matched in a textbook alone.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds in education, but we can be certain that these unique devices will play an important role in shaping and molding young minds. Understandably, many teachers are seeking to slowly integrate mobile technology into their classrooms, but these devices have become commonplace in virtually every aspect of our daily lives.  To have education startlingly different doesn’t make sense.


Technology Tidbits: (If you have websites to share please email me and I will share with all)

Check out the following websites:

 http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/me5l/html/math5.html
 Math Live presents students with animated stories that teach mathematics lessons.

http://www.schrockguide.net/assessment-and-rubrics.html
A great website for just about everything for teachers.  Jennifer Serafin shared that this is a great website for all types of rubrics that teachers can tweak.

THE PL POST HAS NUMEROUS WEBSITES AND RESOURCES THIS MONTH.  IT CAME OUT ON OCTOBER 15th.

News & Notes
Fulton County Schools and local universities have partnered up to provide an informational session on how to obtain your leadership certification. Kelly Cayce, a Certification Specialist, will provide an overview of the steps for earning your certification in the state of GA, answer questions, and introduce the partnering universities. 
Date: Monday, October 28th
Time: 5pm
Location: Haynes Bridge Middle School
Please see me if you would like to RSVP for this opportunity.